I had the privilege of attending the Athletic Performance Summit Featuring the Legends of Strength and Conditioning back in May. It was a seminar that I heard about only a few weeks before. When I saw the lineup of speakers, I knew I had to attend. What really attracted me to this seminar was that most of the presenters worked in the team environment successfully for several years and have the championship rings to prove it.

While the format of the seminar was outstanding, it wasn’t necessarily the information that these guys shared on their power points that made it worthwhile. It was more of their ability to share experiences with the teams and individual athletes that they coached with the attendees. This is something that I find extremely valuable.

These men opened up about their philosophies and programs and were accessible throughout the weekend. For example, Johnny Parker, who was the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Giants, Patriots, Buccaneers, and 49ers, gave out his phone number and email address to everyone. Talk about a humble human being.

What I also found refreshing was that these guys were truly there to teach, share ideas, and learn. Their passion for what they do really showed. These are coaches who I aspire to be like someday.

These coaches clearly have learned and helped each other with their coaching philosophies as their messages were very similar. For example, Charlie Francis was referenced by all of them numerous times. Tempo running was a staple for a few of them. Also, the Javorek bar complex was also a common theme from an evaluation perspective.

Here are some takeaways that I thought were great quotes or something that I can use now with my athletes: